Packaging machine



April 12, 1938. E. E. LAKso PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 2 1935l5 Sheets-Sheet l 'ATTORNEYS April 12,1938. E. E. LAKso 2,113,653

PACKGING MACHINE origin-a1 Filed oct. 2, 1935 1s sheets-sheet 2 2amMMJL;

ATTORNEYS v E. E. LAKso` PACKAGING MACHINE April 1.2, 1938. l

original Filed-oct. 2, 1955 y15 sneecs-sheetl 4 Apr-il l2, 1938. E. E.LAKso 2,113,658

' KPACKAGING lvmcHINsY Original Filed Oct., 2, 1955 13SheetS-Sheet- 5iiifln April 12, 193s. E. E. LAKSO 2,113,658

PACKAGING. MACHINE y Original Filed Oct. 2, 1935 13 Sheets-Sheet 6ATTORNEYS April 1-2,` 1938. E. E. 'LAKSQ 2,113,658,

PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed Oc?. 2, i955 13 Sheets-Sheet 7 QMZAM/0751464@ ATTORNEYS l.April 124, 1938.

E. E. LAKso PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 2, 1935 13Sheets-Sheet 8y lNvEN-roR ATTORNEY 5 7.55/20 E Lafs'@ Y www um April 12,1938. E, E. LAKso PACKAGING MACHINE original Filed oct. 2, 19s

5 15 Sheets--Shee'l 9 ATTORNEYS April 12, 1938. E E. LAKso PACKAGINGMACHINE Original FiledOct. 2, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet l0 i ATTO R N EYSApril 12,1938.

Ej E. LAKso PACKAGING MACHINE 0rigina-1 Filed Or,-` 2, 1955 13Sheets-Sheet ll ATTO R N EYS April l2, 1938. E. E. LAKso PACKAGINGMACHINE 'original Filed oct. 2, 1955 l JIIIIIIIHI k III Ill 154 r f1-ZU.

y f4@ j! 13 Sheets-Sheet l2 ATTORNEYS April 12, 1938. E. E. LAKsoPACKAGING MACHINE original Filed oct i' 2 1935 l5 Sheets-Sheet 13INVENTOR ,52710 Zf/a/'So ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGINGMACHINE Eino E. Lakso, Fitchburg, Mass.,

assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application October 2, 1935, Serial No. 43,140Renewed September 8, 1937 20 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to machines for forming sealed packagesincluding a liquid or other pourable material, and relates moreparticularly to the type of machine which operates to form a tubularcasing encircling the material to'be packaged and closes the ends of thepackage.

Although certain features of my invention are equally applicable for usein machines for packaging pulverulent, granular or other solid materialor a plastic material, my' improved machine in certain of its novelfeatures and in its preferred embodiment is primarily adapted for thepackaging of liquids. I

Certain features of the invention are particularly adapted for use informing a Wrapper of a transparent fiexible impervious material, layersof which may be sealed together merely by the application of heat andpressure even though the surfaces of said layers maybe wet by the liquidbeing packaged and said liquid is squeezed out from between saidsurfaces by the application of the pressure employed in effecting theheat seal.

A material of this kind is on the market under the name of Pliolm andisunderstood to have as its base a chlorinated rubber compound. Othermaterials having the desired properties might be employed for theenwrapment or casing of the package.

The casing material is preferably supplied in sheet form-and its opposededges progressively brought together to form a tubeinto which the liquidis delivered as the tube is formed and the tube is collapsed or pinchedtogether and sealed at spaced points along its length as it is formedand filled.

As one important feature I utilize the weight of the liquid 'in th etube as the means for advancing it downwardly beyond the points at whichit is formed and filled.

As another important feature the sealing off of successive filledsections of the tube includes the tucking in of opposed sides so thatthe end seam is of a length not substantially greater than the diameterof the tube.

As a further important feature the portion of the filled tube is sosupported or controlled that the sealing oi insures the forming of apackage of predetermined volume, and the complete filling with liquid sothat each package contains a denite and predetermined volume of liquidwithout the necessity of any other measuring or weighing mechanism. Thismethod of sealing below the liquid level prevents the inclusion of airor surface foam in the package.

My invention may be employed in many different embodiments, andtherefore, the specific construction shown in the accompanying drawingsis to be considered merely as a preferred embodiment, and variouschanges may be made in the 5 details of construction and arrangement ofparts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine, a 10 portion of the casingbeing broken away to show a part of the driving gearing,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation similar to a portion of Fig. 1, but on alarger scale and the enwrapping 15 material being omitted,

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional details on the lines 4 4. and 5-5respectively of Fig. 3,

Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical and transverse sections on the lines 6-6 and'l-l respectively of 20 Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the portion of the machine forforming and sealing the tube sections or bags, said section being takenon the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, 25

Fig. 8a is a face View of one of the sealing elements,

Fig. 9 is a section similar to a portion of Fig. 8, but showing theparts in a different position.

Fig. 10 is a section on the line |0-l0 of Fig. 8. 30

Fig. 11 is a top plan'view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 8 andtaken on the line Il-II of that figure,

Fig. l2 is a horizontal section on the line I2-l2 of Fig. 8, 35

Fig. 13 is a plan view of one of the bag forming and supporting clampstaken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the cutter,

Fig. 15 is a transverse section on the line I5--I5 40 of Fig. 8 andshowing the sealing cam,

Figs. 16 and 17 are views similar to Fig. 15, but showing the sealingcam in different operating positions,

Fig. 18 is a Vertical section of certain of the 45 gearing taken on theline l8-l8 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 19 is a transverse section on the line IS--I 9 of Fig. 18,

Figs. 20 and 21 are sections on the lines 20-20 and 2l--2I respectivelyof Fig. 18, 50

Fig. 22 is a face View of a vertically movable rack gear shown in Fig.18,

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic view showing the tube and bag in thesuccessive positions which itV occupies in the formation of thepackages,

Fig. 24 is an edge view of one of the packages, certain of the partsbeing broken away,

Fig. 25 is a view at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 24,

Fig. 26 is a transverse section on the line 26-26 of Fig. 24, but on aslightly larger scale, and

Fig. 2'7 is a face view of a portion of the laminatedv sheet materialwhich may be employed, and on a somewhat smaller scale.

In the specic machine illustrated, the sheet material A is deliveredfrom a roll B as shown in Fig. 2. 'I'his sheet material may be of thechar-` acter illustrated in Fig. 27 and includes a sheet C of' thintransparent impervious flexible material of such a composition thatsuperposed layers may be sealed together.by heat and pressure. As areinforcement for the sheet C and to protect the sheet along thelongitudinal and transverse seams which are to be formed, the sheet C isprovided with marginal strips D adjacent to opposite longitudinal edgesand an intermediate strip E. These strips D and E are preferably ofpaper, although they may be of other materials which are not fused orsoften at the sealing temperature of the sheet C and which will protectthe sheet C from direct contact with the mechanism which applies thepressure and heat. This sheet material and its characteristics andadvantages are more fully set forth, and this construction is claimed inmy copending application Serial No. 41,345, filed September 20, 1935.

The laminated sheet A delivered from the roll B passes over a guide roll30 and between a pair of feed rolls 3l, 32. The guide roll 36 issupported on a pair of arms 33 pivoted at opposite sides of the machineand having extensions 34 which may be adjusted by screws 35 or otherequivalent means so that the sheet will properly enter between the twofeed rolls. These rolls are connected by gears 36 and the upper roll isdriven at the desired uniform speed from a shaft 3l through gears 36.The lower feed roll 32 is adjustable toward and from the upper roll byany suitable means to pinch the sheet with the desired pressure and toprevent slipping. As shown 1n Fig. 4 the lower roll is carried by apivoted bracket 36 and adjustable by one or more adjusting screws 46.

As the sheet material passes from between the feedrolls it is guidedover an inclined substantially triangular apron 4| and below this apronis a pair of inclined guides 42 for progressively bringing the oppositeedges of the sheet substantially together. These guides 42 may-besubstantially parallel and are preferably adjustable toward and fromeach other not only to secure the desired folding of the sheet but alsoto faciiltate the initial threading up of the sheet. As shown they areeach carried by a Separate slide or bracket d3 which is transverselymovable in the T-slot of a transverse bar 44 and may be held in adjustedposition by clamping screws 45.

The support for the guides 42 is shown as disposed substantiallydirectly below the feed rolls, and the guides 42 incline outwardly andupwardly so that their outer upper ends are adjacent to but uponopposite sides of the apex of the triangular apron or guide 4|.

The sheet passes downwardly between the two guides 42 and then intomechanism which brings the sheet to substantially cylindrical form. Thismechanism includes a pair of outer approximately semi-cylindrical guides46 rigidly but adjustably supported on the frame of the machine.supports as shown include a pair of outwardly extending rods 41 slidablein a bracket 48 and held in adjusted position by meansof set screws 46as shown particularly in Figs. 3, 6 and 7.

Encircled by the guides 46 is a pair oi guides 56, 5| which may be inthe form of discs or rings of an external diameter equal to the desiredinternal diameter of the tube to be formed and which may be spaced fromthe guides 46 to a distance substantially equal tothe thickness of thesheet by the adjustment of the guides 46 in the bracketsl 48.

The lsheet is of a width slightly greater than the circumference of theguides 56, 5| so that as the sheet passes downwardly between the outerguides 46 and the inner guides 50, 5I, the edges of the sheet will cometogether and lie in superposed relationship in a radial plane wherebythey may be pressed and sealed together to form the tube. This sealingmechanism will be described more fully hereinafter.

The guides 50, 6I may be carried by or integral with a bracket 52 whichis supported on the frame of the machine and extends inwardly betweenthe edges of the sheet at a point above where said edges are broughttogether. 'I'his bracket may be comparatively thin and downwardlytapered in a vertical transverse plane between the edges of the sheet asis shown particularly in Fig. 6. The bracket has a passage there'through for the delivery of the liquid to the tube at a point below thatat which the edges are sealed together. As shown the bracket has adepending non-cylindrical stud 53 seated in a correspondingly shapedsocket in a bracket 54 on the frame of the machine so that the bracket52 and the parts carried thereby may be readily lifted out for cleaning,sterilizing, adjustment or repair.

The bracket 52 is shown as connected to a supply pipe 55 and has ahorizontal bore 56 intersecting a vertical bore 51. At the lower end ofthe latter there may be an extension pipe 58 leading down into the tubeto a point substantially below the desired liquid level in the latter soas to prevent foaming. To facilitate cleaning, the bore 5l may have aremovable closure 59 at the upper end so that upon removing said closurea cleaning brush may be passed through the bore 51 and extension 56. Thebracket also carries a oat 60 disposed within the tube and serving tocontrol the supply of liquid and maintain a substantially constantliquid level. As shown this float is provided with a guide rod 6Iextending through the guide 50 and a lug 62, and this rod is connectedby a link 63 to a pivoted lever 64. This lever has a depending extension65 which is connected by a link 66 to a valve 61 which engages a seat inthe end of the bore 56. As the liquid level in the tube rises the float66 will swing the lever 64, 65 in a counterclockwise direction as viewedin Fig. 5 and tend to close the valve 61. In normal operations the float60 may move up and down in a comparatively narrow range and regulate thesupply of liquid and maintain the liquid level varying within the limitssomewhat diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 23.

To facilitate cleaning, the link63 is detachablyconnected to the lever64, for instance, by having' a pin held at the base of aslotr by meansof a spring 68.

The operation of the valve and float may be regulated by acounterbalancing weight 69 `adjustable toward and from the pivotalsupport 'l0 of the lever.

The two edges of the sheet, after they are brought together, are sealedtogether by a pair of sealing members H6 between whichv the outy y Canamstanding edgesgof the-sheet pass as shown -par- .-1.85 and each has aroller 86 upon its under side ticularly in Fig. '1.v Each' of thesemembers'has therein'an electrical heating Aunit I|| similar to" The twomemthe heating con los (Fig '12).4 bers are supported upon lever arms||2 mounted upon parallel rock'shafts I'I3V which are connected forsimultaneous opposite rotation by gears ||4. One of these rock shafts|I3 is provided with a lever arm I I extending in opposite directionstherefrom and having its opposite ends connected by links ||6 to thecores of solenoids II1. 'I'he lever arm |I5 has an upwardly extendingarm section I I8 connected to a spring I I9. With the parts in theposition shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the spring exerts a pull tending torotate the rock shafts in such direction as to press the sealing memberstogether and apply a slight pressure to the opposite sides of the edgesof the material sliding therebetween. When the machine is stopped forany reason a circuit may Abe automatically or manually closed toenergize the solenoid shown at the right of Fig. 6 to rock the lever armand swing the spring I I9 to the heating of the portion of the sheetmaterial be tween these members when the machine is at rest, and thematerial is not in motion. Upon starting the machine the other solenoidmay be manually or automatically energized to rock the lever arm in theopposite direction and bring the sealing members together and bring thespring to the position where it exerts a yielding pressure tending toprevent separation of the members.

Below the oat there is provided means which brings together the oppositesides of the tube and effects a transverse seal. The mechanism whichfolds and tucks in the sidesis shown particularly in Figs. 8 to 12inclusive. This includes four members 1|, 12, 13 and 14,' shown in topplan view in Fig. 11. The diametrically opposite members 1| and 13 arewedge-shaped with the tapered face receding from the point as shown inFig. l0. The other two members 12 and 14 have their lower edges, shownin dotted lines in Fig. l1, adapted to come together substantially alonga diameter of the tube. All four'of the members flare upwardly andoutwardly and each at its upper end is arcuate and extends alongapproximately one-quarter of the circumference of the tube.

The two members 1I and 13 serve as tuckers and taper downwardlysubstantially to a radial line as well as tapering inwardly. These twomembers are carried by brackets 15 which are in turn carried by slides16 mounted to move endwise and radially of the tube in guides4 11 on acam casing 18 forming a slidingframe section of the machine. Each slidehas a roller 19 on the under side thereof and traveling in a cam groove80 of a cam member 8| described more in detail later.

The two members 12 and 14 change in shape progressively downwardly fromarcuate sections extending along approximately one-quarter of the tubeto substantially fiat parallel lower end portions 82 spaced slightlyapart so that there may be slight liquid flow in the juxtaposed part ofthe tube. These members are carried by brackets 83 which are somewhatsimilar to the brackets except that they are offset in opposite`directions as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. These brackets are mounted onand'carried by slides 84 somewhat similar to the. slides 16, but atright angles thereto. 'I'hese slides 84 are mounted in guides andmounted vto travel ina cam groove 81. which A is in the cam vmember 8|previously referred to.

l The four members 1I, 12, 18 and 14 are moved inwardly 'and outwardlyby the rotation of the cam'member 8| as will be described hereinaftermore in detail. fThe' lower ends of members 12 and 14 terminate at alower plane than the ends of 1I and 13, due to 12 and 14 comingpractically together and clearance being provided between the flat faces82 and the sides of the wedgeshaped tuckers bringing edge 89 on a higherplane.

Below said plane and rigid with each of these members lare similarlyshaped corresponding members in reverse position in respect to thehorizontal plane. The lower members 1|a and 13a are similar to themembers 1| and 13 except that they converge` upwardly rather thandownwardly and serve to tuck in the lower portion of the same opposedfolds which are tucked in -by the two upper members. These members 1|aand 13a may be rigidly connected to and depend from the slides 16.

'Ihe members --12a and 14a are similar to 12 and 14, but convergeupwardly and terminate in substantially flat portions 88 Vwith theiredges parallel to and directly below the edges of the portions 82 andparallel to the edge portions 89 of the uppermembers 1| and 13 and theparallel radial portions 90 of the sections 1|a and 13a. These members12a and 14a are carried by and depend from the slides 84.

'Ihe yfour upper members and corresponding lower members are movable toan outer limiting position so as to permit the tube or bag to hangsubstantially freely therebetween as shown in Fig. 9, or may be movedinwardly to the positions shown in Figs. 8, 10 and 11 to collapse asection o f the tube. The upper members 1| and 13 form the reentranttucks F and the lower members form the reentrant tucks F' as shown Theupper members and lower members are\` as also shown in these same spacedapartto collapse a section of approximately twice the width of a desiredterminal seam of the completed package, and means are provided foreffecting the seal while the folding and tucking members are in inwardposition. This sealing means includes a pair of pressure applyingmembers 9|, 92 which have opposed sides substantially parallel to eachother and also parallel to the edges of the portions 82 and 88. Thesealing members 9| and 92 are carried by arms 93, 94 respectively whichare mounted upon opposed pivot pins 95. The arm 93 is connected by alink 98 to a slide 91 movable in guideways 98 and parallel to one of theslides 84. The arm 94 is.connected by a link 99 to a slide |00 movablein guideways |0| and parallel to the other of the slides 84. The link 96may be a rigid bar, but the link 99 is preferably made of twotelescoping sections with limited relative endwise movement. As shown apin |02 limits this relative endwise movement of the sections While aspring |03 tends to extend the link 99 to the maximum extent.

The two slides 91 and |00 are provided with rollers |04 on the undersides and travel in the same grooves 81 as do the rollers 86.

The pressure applying member 9| may have a substantially straightsurface or inserted bar |05 of rubber or other equivalent resilientmaterial, while the opposed member 92 may be of metal and have thereinan electrical heating coil |06 connected to conductors |01 supported inan extension |08 on the arm 94. This extension including the portionwhich directly supports the member 92 may be of insulating material toprevent undue conduction of heat away from the surface to be heated.

When the folding and tucking members are in outermost or open positionthe cam member 8| is in the position shown in Fig. 17. As this cam isrotated in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 17 therollers 19 and 86 are rst brought inwardly as indicated in Fig. 16. Atthe time the rollers reach the position shown in Fig. 16 the folding andtucking members have reached their innermost position and they form thetucks in two sides of the tube and press the other two sides together.'I'he cam grooves are of such shape that the cam member may continuethis clockwise rotation from the position shown in Fig. 16 to theposition shown in Fig. 15 and during this portion of the rotation thefolding and tucking members will not be moved, but the rollers |04 willbe brought inwardly to swing the two arms 93 and 94 toward each otherand to press the members 9| and 92 against the sides of the tube to sealthe juxtaposed layers together and to form a transverse hermeticallytight seal. As the cam rotates in the opposite direction the sealingmembers will rst be moved away from the seam and the folding and tuckingmembers will thereafter be moved outwardly to the position shown in Fig.9.

In order to effect the proper seal and to prevent undue strain onportions of the wall of the `completed package the member 92 preferablyhas a face thereof provided with reentrant angles |09 as shownparticularly in Fig. 8a, the purpose of which is described in detail inthe copending Vogt and Lakso application Serial No. 36,772, led August19, 1935.

The casing 18 forming the housing for the cam member 8l also supportsslides which carry members which act to support the Weight of the filledsection of the bag during the time the folding, tucking and sealingoperations are effected. and these cooperate with the members 1|a, 12a.,13a and 14a in giving to the completed package the accuratelypredetermined shaped and therefore volume at the time the sealing iseffected. As shown particularly in Figs. 8, 9, and 13 there is a pair ofthese supporting members |20 each forming substantially one-half of anopen topped cup receiving the lower end of the tube above the point ofthe last previous Seal. These members are mounted for vertical slidingmovement in slides |2| radially movable on the under side oi the casing18 and below and parallel to the slides 84. Each slide |2| has a roller|22 mounted to travel in a cam groove |23 in the under side of the cammember 8| and shown in dotted lines in Figs. 15, 16 and 17.

For moving the supporting members |20 vertically on the slides |2| thelatter are shown as rovided with levers |24 mounted on pivot pins |25intermediate of their ends and in the under side of the slides |2|. Oneend of each lever extends into a socket in the supporting member |20while the opposite end rests on a pin |26 which is mounted for verticalsliding movement in the slide |2 I. The upper end of each pin |26engages the under side of the cam member 8| and may be forced down orpermitted to rise during the rotation of the cam member 8| by the actionof an inclined surface |21 shown in dotted lines in Figs. 15, 16 and 17.The radially outer end of each slide |2| is bifurcated as shown in Fig.13, and the casing is provided with a pair of lugs |28, |29 which engagethe outer end of the levers |24 and force these ends upwardly andtherefore force the support members |20 downwardly when the slides |2|have moved outward radially to such an extent that the pins |26 comebeyond the outer surface of the adjacent portion of the cam member 8| orto a. high portion of the cam surface.

The cam groove |23 and the cam surface |21 are of such shape that whenthe folding and tucking means are in outermost position as shown in Fig.9 the supporting members |20 are in innermost position and form asupport for the lower sealed off end of the bag or tube as shown in Fig.9, and the members |20 are also in their lowermost position. As thesealing and tucking members move inwardly the walls of the tube take aninclined position and therefore the surfaces would tend to have arelative vertical movement in respect to the tucking and foldingmembers. To compensate for this the sealed off bottom of the tube israised at the same time that the folding and tucking members comeinwardly so that the portion of the tube wall opposite the sealingmembers 9|, 92 does not have any vertical movement in respect to thesemembers during the inward movement of the walls. When the tucking,folding and sealing have been effected and the parts are in thepositions shown in Figs. 8 and 10 the support members |20 will moveoutwardly with the members 1|, 12, 13 and 14 and their correspondingmembers 1|a, 12a, 13a and 14a to permit relative movement from thesealing position to a position substantially flush with the lower endsof the members |20. Upon the reverse movement of the cam members themembers |20 are rst moved inwardly to form a support for the sealed endbefore the tucking and folding members come in to form the next sealthereabove.

Any suitable means may be employed for oscillating the cam member 8|. Asshown in Figs. 8, 12, 15, 16 and 17 a portion of the periphery of thecam member is provided with a gear section |30 which meshes with apinion |3| mounted on a shaft |32 having means for oscillating the same.By making the gears |3| of one-half the pitch diameter of the gearsection |30 a rotation of the shaft through 180 will rotate the cammember 8| through the desired angle of 90.

After the completion of the sealing operation above described, andbefore themembers |20 are separated, the sealed oi section of the tubewhich forms the package is cut off directly below the members |20intermediate of the upper and lower edges of the walls which were sealedtogether by the members 9|, 92. For this purpose there is provided aknife |33 connected to an arm |34 mounted to swing in a horizontal planeand carried by a vertical shaft |35. The knife is preferably one havinga point which will first pierce the sealed section and with divergingedges which progressively cut the material in opposite directions fromthe point at which it is pierced. The cutting movement of the knife aswell as the return movement out of the material is effected while thesupporting members |20 are in their innermost position and substantiallystationary, and the knife travels closely adjacent to the substantiallyhat under surface of the members |20 so that said members adequatelysupport the seam during the severing action.

It is preferable that the sheet material be continuously delivered bythe feed rolls at a. substantially uniform rate, and it is likewisedesirable that there be no Arelative vertical movement of the tucking,folding, transverse sealing and cutting means in respect to the sheet ortube during the operation of said members. Therefore these members aremounted for back and forth vertical movement. As shown the casing 18which encloses the cam memberand supports said members and their guidesis not a rigid part of the frame, but is mounted to slide vertically andhas grooves |31 engaging guides |36, of the stationary part of the frameas shown in Fig. 12. The casing 18 is provided with'a lug |38 connectedto a vertical reciprocating rod |39 and is also provided with a lug |40providing a bearing for the pinion 3| for moving the latter and itsshaft |32 vertically in keeping it in mesh with the gear segment |30. Italso has a lug |4| within which is mounted the bearing for the shaft |35and effecting the corresponding vertical movement of the latter and theknife guided thereby. Obviously if desired the shafts |32 and |35 neednot move vertically, but in that event the casing 18 should be providedwith suitable parts for sliding the vpinion |3| and the hub of the arm|34 vertically on splines on these shafts' All of the operating partsmay be driven from a single motor |42 shown in Fig. 1 and driving a worm|43 meshing with a gear |44. The gear is shown particularly in Fig. 18as mounted on a shaft |45 disposed in a gear casing in the base of themachine. On this shaft there is provided a disc |46 having a cam groove|41 receiving the roller |48 of a scotch yoke |49. This scotch yoke hasan extension |50 provided with inclined rack teeth (see Fig. 22)engaging corresponding teeth on a pinion 4on a splined extension |52 onthe lower end of the shaft |32. The pinion is held against verticalmovement, but as the rack bar |50 raises and lowers the pinion |5| isrotated, and this rotation is transmitted to the shaft |32 which maymove upwardly and downwardly through the pinion in accordance with themovement of the operating mechanism above described.

The shaft |45 is provided with a second cam |53 which engages a roll |54on a second scotch yoke |55. This scotch yoke is connected to the rod39, and the cam |53 is of such shape as to impart the desired verticalmovement to the casing 18 and the parts mounted therein or carriedthereby. The shaft |45 is also provided with a cam wheel |56 having acam groove |51 in the periphery thereof and receiving a roller |58mounted on an arm |59 mounted to swing about a horizontal axis on apivot pin |60. The opposite end of the arm |59 is provided with a gearsegment meshing with a pinion |6| held against vertical movement, butsplined on the shaft |35. The shape of the cam groove |51 is such as toimpart the desired oscillatory movement to the knife |33 and in theproper timed relationship to the other operations.

The shaft |45 is also provided with a bevel pinion |62 meshing with abevel pinion |63 on a countershaft |64, and this countershaft isconnected to the shaft 31 by a second pair of bevel pinions |65. Throughthis gearing the feed rollers are continuously rotated, whereas theother mechanisms directly operated from the shaft 45,

namely, the oscillatory cutter, the oscillatory gear member and theverticallymovable housing, have back and forth movement rather thancontinuous one-way movements.

The shaft 31 may be connected to a second countershaft |66 through bevelpinions |61, and the countershaft may serve to operate a conveyer forcarrying away the completed packages after they are severed. As shownthe countershaft |66 is provided with a sprocket wheel |68 which isconnected by a chain |68 to a sprocket wheel on a shaft |1| which drivesthe pulley |12 of a belt conveyer |13. The sprockets and chains may beenclosed in a housing |14.

Directly below the lowest point of the supporting members |20 there maybe provided a chute for guiding the severed packages onto the conveyeras shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The packages when suspended may be of theshape shown in Figs. 2, 24 and 25, but when resting upon the side theliquid pressure will cause them tov be symmetrical at opposite ends asshown at the right of Fig. 2 and in Fig. 23 as the members 1|, 12, 13and 14 areof substantially the same shape and inclination as the members1|a, 12a, 13a and 14a.-

If the sequence of operations is not entirely clear from the foregoingdescription of the machine, it will be apparent from Fig. 23 which showsthe successive positions. It will be noted from this figure that theposition of the lower end of the filling tube 58 does not change, butthat the liquid level changes with the collapsing of the section ofthetube and the forming of. the seal. The bottom of the tube sectionabove the seam at i-lrst does not drop as rapidly as the line of uniformfeed of the sheet due to the upward movement of the members |20, butafter the seal has been formed as in the second and third positions inFig. 23 and the sealed off section is being cut off, the parts open outto the position shown in Fig. 9 and the lower end of the sealed offsection lowers at the same rate as the sheet material and the liquidlevel drops slightly due to the fact that the liquid is not being fed inas fast as the tube is lowered. The liquid level rapidly rises againduring the movement from the first to the second position in Fig. 23 dueto the collapsing of the sides of the tube. .If a variable rate o f feedbe provided for the sheet material and a stopping and starting of thefeed during the sealing and cutting operations, then it is not necessaryto provide for any vertical movement of thetucking, folding, sealing,supporting and cutting mechanisms.

The sheet material may be more or less elastic or the sealing togetherof the edges of the sheet to form the longitudinal seam may permitslight variation in the diameter of the tube, and therefore in thediameter of the iinal package. The casing members 1|a, 12a, 13a and 14atogether with the bottom supporting members give to the package deniteand predetermined shape and volume, and therefore accurately determinedvolume of the contents of the package. If the tube be too large due tostretching of the material, partial opening of the seam or for othercause, the members 1|a, 12a, 13a, 14a and |20 will bring the packagedown to a predetermined shape and may possibly even form a slight foldin a part of the wall and expel a small amount of the liquid upwardlybetween the surfaces which are held but not tightly by the parts 82 and88.

The sealing device does not operate until after the encasirig membersare in iinal position, and therefore at the instant the sealing iseffected the contents has been brought accurately to the predeterminedvolume before the sealing.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming a tubeand continuously advancing it at auniform rate, a sealing clamp forsealing together opposite sides of the tube to form. closures atsuccessive spaced points along the length of the tube, and means formoving said sealing clamp back and forth along the path of movement ofthe tube.

2. A packaging machine including means for vprogressively forming avertically disposed tube,

a sealing clamp for sealing together opposite sides of the tube to formclosures at successive spaced points along the length of the tube, andmeans for moving said sealing clamp back and forth along the path ofmovement of the tube, said tube advancing downwardly by gravity at auniform rate during the upward movement of said clamp and said clampmoving downwardly with said tube during the sealing operation andthrough a lesser distance than the space between successive sealingpoints.

3. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming a tubeand permitting it to advance downwardly at a uniform rate by the actionof gravity, means for filling said tube with liquid, and means forsealing together opposite sides of said tube to form closures at spacedpoints along the length of the tube as the tube descends, said sealingmeans being disposed below the minimum liquid level maintained in saidtube, whereby each sealed off section of the tube is completely filledwith liquid.

4. A packaging machine including means for continuously advancing astrip of sheet material at a uniform rate, means for progressivelysealing together the opposite edges of said strip to form a tube, meansfor delivering liquid to said tube and at such a rate in respect to therate of formation of the tube as to maintain a liquid level within saidtube between prf-determined limits, and means for successively sealingoi sections of the tube as the tube advances and at points below saidlower limit. 6

5. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming avertically disposed tube, means for delivering liquid to said tube, aoat within said tube for controlling the rate of flow ci the liquid inrespect to the rate of movement of the tube, and means disposed belowsaid oat for sealing off successive packages from the lower end of thefilled section of the tube.

6. A packaging machine including means for continuously advancing astrip of sheet material, means for bringing together the opposite edgesof said strip to form a tube with the edge portions together andextending outwardly radially from the wall of the tube, and means forpressing and sealing together said outwardly extending edge portions asthe formed tube advances.

7. A packaging machine including means for continuously advancing astrip of sheet material, means for bringing together the opposite edgesof said strip to form a tube with the edge portions togetherandextending outwardly radially from the wall of the tube, and heatedsealing clamps yieldingly pressed together and between which saidoutwardly extending edges pass to progressively form `a sealalong thelength o! the tube.

8. Apackaging machine including means'for continuously advancing a stripof sheet material, means for bringing together the oppositev edges ofsaid strip to form a tube with the edge portions together and extendingoutwardly radially from the wall of the tube, a pair of heated clampvmembers between which said edge portions pass, and yielding means forpressing said clamp members toward each other or holding them in spacedrelationship. Y

9. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adepending tube, means for delivering filling material to the lowerportion of the tube as the latter is formed, a vertically movable memberencircling said lower portion, means carried by said member for sealingofi` the lower filled portion of the tube at spaced points along thedownward movement of the latter, and a cam carried by said member andencircling said tube for operating said sealing means.

10. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adepending tube, means for delivering lling material to the lower portionof the tube as the latter is formed, a vertically movable memberencircling said lower portion, means carried by said member for sealingoir the lower filled portion of the tube at spaced points along thedownward movement of the latter, and means also carried by said memberfor supporting the bottom of the tube during the sealing operation.

i1. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adownwardly moving suspended tube, easing members movable toward and fromsaid tube for engaging the latter and giving to the lower portion of thetube a-predetermined shape and volume, and means disposed above saidcasing members for sealing off said lower portion of predeterminedshape.

12. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adownwardly moving suspended tube, casing members movable toward and fromsaid tube for engaging the latter and giving to the lower portion of thetube a predetermined shape and volume, and means disposed above saidcasing members for sealing off said lower portion of predeterminedshape, said casing members and said sealing means being movableoutwardly away from said tube to permit the latter to move downwardlytherebetween by gravity.

13. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adepending tube, means for delivering filling material to said tube,members for forcing toward each other opposite sides of said tubethereby reducing the volume of the lower portion of the tube, means forsupporting and lifting the bottom of the tube during the inward movementof said members, and means above said members for `sealing together thetube to form a package.

14. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming adepending tube, means for delivering lling material to said tube,members for forcing toward each other opposite sides of said tubethereby reducing the volume of the lower portion of the tube, means forsupporting and lifting the bottom of the tube during the inward movementof said members, means above said members for sealing together the tubeto form a package, and means below said support for cutting off thepreviously `formed and sealed package intermediate of the upperrandloweredges of the sealed portion.

15. A packaging machine including means for Vadvancing a strip of sheetmaterial at a uniform rate, means for progressively sealing togetheropposite edges thereof to form a tube, means for y .filling the lowerportion oi said tube, a member movable lengthwise of said tube, meanscarried by said member for bringing together opposite edges of saidtube, and means for moving said member vertically and at a ratedifferent from the rate of movement of said sheet material during theinward movement of said fourth mentioned means.

16. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming andlling a tube formed of flexible sheet material, a member encircling saidtube and movable vertically through a range materially less than thelength of the desired package, means carried byv said member forbringing rtogether opposite sides of the tube, means also carried bysaid member for sealing said sides together to form a hermetic closure,means also carried by said member for supporting the bottom of the tubeduring said sealing operation, and means also carried by said member anddisposed below said supporting means for cutting 01T a previously formedpackage.

17. A packaging machine including means for progressively forming andiilling a tube formed of flexible sheet material, a member encirclingsaid tube and movable vertically through arange materially less than thelength of the desired package, means carried by said member for bringingtogether opposite sides of the tube, means also carried by said memberfor sealing said sides together to form a hermetic closure, means alsocarried by said member for supporting theybottom of the tube during saidsealing operation, means also carried by said member and disposed belowsaid supporting means for cutting oii a previously formed package, and acam encircling said tube and carried by said member and serving toactuate all of said other means carried by said member.

18. A packaging machine including means for advancing a strip ofmaterial at a uniform rate, means for progressively forming said stripinto a depending tube, means for filling the lower portion of said tube,said strip feeding means serving to control the downward movement of theiilled lower portion of the tube by gravity, means for tucking inopposite sides of the tube at 'a point above the lower end thereof,means for pressing together other sides to form a thin transverselyextended section with unfolded tucks, and means for sealing together theseparate layers of the tube Wall at said section to form a hermeticseal.

19. A packaging machine including means for advancing a strip ofmaterial at a uniform rate, means for progressively forming said stripinto a depending tube, means for lling the lower portion of said tube,said strip feeding means serving to control the downward movement of thefilled lower portion of the tube by gravity, means for tucking inopposite sides of the tube at a point above the lowerl end thereof,means for pressing together other sides to form a thin transverselyextended section with unfolded tucks, means for sealing together theseparate layers of the tube wall at said section, and means spacedtherebeneath to a distance substantially the height of a package forsevering the sealed section.

20. A packaging machine including a drive shaft, means operated therebyfor continuously advancing a strip of sheet material, means forprogressively bringing and sealing together the opposite edges of thestrip toy form a tube, means for delivering a liquid to the lowerportion of said tube, an annular member encircling the tube, meansdriven by said shaft for alternately raising and lowering said member,folding, sealing and severing devices carried by said member, and meansoperated by said shaft for moving said member back and forth to formseparate successive packages from the progressively filled descendingend of the tube.

EINO E. LAKSO.

